Stitch in time
by icclenomi
Summary: oneshot- A look at what could have potentially happened had Tom a Dale been saved in brothers in arms.


"_**A stitch in time saves nine"**__  
spoiler- upto end of s2e1- although it's au from s1e7.  
wordcount: 2898  
main characters: Allan a Dale, Tom a Dale, Will Scarlett_

He was going to trick them. If they had waited until the hanging it would have been too late. The gratitude Allan showed to Will, who had suggested they break them out beforehand, was immense. He couldn't get the image of his little brother with a stretched neck out of his head, and knew he would be plagued by nightmares as he had when he was younger. When looking at Tom he had mixed feelings- one the one hand he was extraordinarily relieved that he was alive, on the other- he had been let down again. Tom had taken their belongings and left, what was, his last chance behind. He was too upset with his brother to even hit him over the back of the head as he had done since they were lads, choosing to turn in the other direction when Tom put on his best 'innocent' face, leaving the boy unsure of what to do.

After Tom had given Robin the necklace he had stolen from Lucky George, he wormed his way into good books and Robin hadn't taken their tags off them. It was made abundantly clear that should anything else further go wrong that they would be thrown out for good, and that it was only out of friendship with Allan that they were permitted to stay. Tom thought, great; another person duped. Allan was so predictable. Tom would be able to do whatever he wanted again- he was after all on his 3rd 'final' warning. He and his friends were about to sneak off once again when he realised he couldn't go on like this. Allan was awake, talking with the Saracen woman. It was the first time Tom had seen his brother crying since they were boys.

Hearing his brother's fears brought Tom back down to earth and he told the others to go back to sleep as he listened in. There was something about Allan's words. 'e's going to leave me again. 'e always does- and I always forgive 'im the next time 'e comes back. I know I shouldn't, but I can't 'elp it. When we was little we lost everything; parents, brothers, sisters until all that was left was the two of us- I dunno if 'e remembers, was probably too little, like, but... 'e was all I 'ad an'... an' I've got to look after 'im but I can' I don' know how any more- now 'es going to leave me again and I... I dunno how to... to... 'e almost died today...nearly... I've dangled from a rope an'...an' I don' ever want 'im to 'ave to feel what that's like an'... Djaq... 'elp me... Tom could take no more. He was sure the woman had seen him listening in, and as Allan sobbed into her shoulder, Tom could see her looking at him, asking, no- telling him not to go, to stay, to be a good brother. If he only knew how.

He saw the look of surprise on Allan's face when he saw that his brother was still there in the morning and, if he hadn't seen the state he had been in last night, he might've laughed at him, made a joke about his look of confusion, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. By the afternoon however, it seemed he was back to normal, running around all over the place, picking Much's pocket just so he could see the look on his face when he waved something in front of his face, or stealing something of Robin's just to prove he could.

The gang had a plan, they were going to steal a new delivery of weapons before they got to the castle. Allan would be the front man once more- he seemed to enjoy it, and the others would then join him. It was a plan that had worked many times, it had been proved to work without a hitch. So when it went wrong, no one had expected it. Robin saw the reason it hadn't moments too late to prevent it, the boys- they were visible with their weapons, setting off early! The coach driver saw them and instead of slowing down to a halt in front of Allan, ploughed on, knocking the man to the ground. The stone of crunching bone filled the ears of the other outlaws and they wasted no time in jumping up. 'm alright... rolled out...from the 'orses... was just me arm... The break was nasty, and Djaq had quietly told Will to distract Allan whilst she pushed a part of his bone back in place. At hearing him muffle a scream when this was being done, and determining that he would live, Robin motioned to the boys to follow him. He asked them if they knew why he'd taken them aside and, stubborn, they shook their heads. Come on, you must have some idea? By the look in their eyes they knew exactly what he was talking about, and he left them to their thoughts.

Allan was getting grumpy. He wasn't happy that he was being forced to sit out some of the missions, only being able to take part when giving things out rather than taking things in, and his hand was just itching to steal something, anything. He had tried to pretend to be better than he was to get in on the action, but he was continually lagging behind the group. They let him keep his pride for a few days, not drawing attention to this fact. However, as it became worse as he exerted himself, Will wordlessly looped one of Allan's arms over his shoulder and, holding the smaller man by his other underarm- half supported-half carried him along the way. Tom silently scowled as he saw this, thinking quietly to himself that he should be in Will's place, after all- He was his real brother. While Tom was busy glaring at the men in front of him, the boys beside him slipped away into the forest.

Was this how it felt each time he left his brother? Tom had believed those boys to be his friends, that they depended on him and yet here he was, alone. It was a strange feeling- whenever he had parted with comrades before, it had been him slipping off quietly. Now that the tables had turned he was filled with a new sorrow at how he had treated his brother, and he sought out his eyes, what he got in return was a small smile and a bowl of food.

_Robin went mad the next week. He had decided that it had been Gisborne who had tried to kill the king, and who had wounded him in the holy land, he spoke of tattoos as if he were possessed. The worst part of this was the fact that Djaq had been captured and Robin was unwilling to participate in any sort of rescue mission, infuriating the other outlaws who mounted their own, unfortunately all did not go well, they found themselves without a way out, having decided that Allan couldn't possibly go down the toilets with his arm as it was. Then, following this, when they finally did find a way out, Djaq was recaptured and they were back to square one._

When they got Djaq back, a curtain of silence fell over the camp. Each person was trying to come to their own peace. Djaq with Robin, Robin with everyone, plus Will and Allan avoided each other like the plague after their unisoned confessions. Tom sat with Allan, guiltily glad of the wall between Will and his brother, somehow this seemed righter to him.

This calm lasted for a couple of days for most of them, but Will and Allan were still struggling for things to say, that is, until they went to retrieve little John and his family from the sheriff and Allan found it particularly amusing to lightly twack Will on the back with a whip 'for realism' to which Will eventually retaliated by starting a scrap with Allan just outside the camp. To an outsider it appeared to be a simple childish play-fight, but even without actually inflicting pain on one another, this had actually served as a way for they to resolve their differences, or similarities, and wipe the slate clean. When Tom watched Will put his brother into a head lock and ruffle his hair wildly as Allan often did to him, Tom could see the brotherly bond they had with one another and hung back with a frown on his face. But then he saw them whisper to each other before walking over to him and messing up his hair and picking him up. Suddenly he didn't feel so bad.

The whole camp was upturned however with the news that the king was coming to Nottingham. He would return from the Holy Land and this had a few of them worried. They got to Locksley as 'the night watchman' was fighting with Gisborne, Tom and Will ended up with Gisborne's money and disappeared for the longest time, leaving the others to deal with the aftermath of Marian's stabbing. With Djaq caring for Marian, Robin sitting by her side, Much finding something to busy himself and John keeping a watchful eye over everyone, Allan found himself alone in his worry. Where were the only two men in the world he considered family? He was momentarily pulled from his thoughts when there was a panic inside the cave and Marian... slipped away from them, leaving them all silent for as long as they were able before the sound of hooves and Gisborne came towards them and they prepared to fight, this time- to the death.

They had been having words, a long conversation. Tom had suggested making off with the money and Will had asked why he would abandon his brother again. It had grown from there, a long discussion about what Tom thought about Will's friendship with his brother and then, in return, what Will thought of the relationship between Tom and Allan. When they had finally returned, it was to see the rest of the gang in a serious fight with Gisborne and his men. The Night Watchman, Marian, was dead.. that is... she was; until Allan noticed her breathing.

After the hype with 'the king' had died down, and Marian punched Gisborne at the alter, Will had begun work on a permanent camp. And it was nothing if not the work of a genius! They each had a bunk, there was a kitchen area, a toilet, this camp was a small refuge for them, a place they could relax, and without the thought of finding a new place a few days later. Will thought it would be quite nice if they each personalised their bunks, and so they carved a small symbol into their bunks- well, they drew them in the dirt and Will carved them into their bunks. And with the finishing of their camp they found themselves is a good mood, in the mood for some fun ambushing, it was uncertain which of the outlaws thought it would be funny for Robin to play dead, but nevertheless- that is what they did.

It had to be said, Allan did raise a good point. Despite their hard work, the outlaws were living off far less than the peasants they gave to, and it did make sense to keep a little more for themselves however, Much, as he always needed to do, felt the need to object strongly. Robin rolled his eyes as he continued to watch the castle in which his love now resided, whilst Tom just took in the growing argument. it doesn't matter to you. Tom knew that look... why not? this could only mean- You've always been weak. At this the two staying out of it could not stifle their amusement. Unfortunately, Much, in a single statement, sent Allan off down the street- Tom following behind. he needs to cool off.

Tom had been the 'first punter', setting the ball rolling for men to challenge Allan, all he had to do was win almost every time then find his way to the back of the room, out of sight. He felt his blood run cold as he saw Gisborne enter the tavern and sit down in front of Allan gotcha. Tom was about to draw his weapon when his brother caught his eye and shook his head softly as he was led out of the Trip and towards the castle. For a moment, Tom couldn't move. He tried to wrap his head around what had happened, Allan, Gisborne, captured. This did not bode well and he swiftly made his way back to camp to find it empty. No! Where was everyone? Cursing, Tom kicked the side of his bed and tried to think- it would be foolish to rush off to rescue him alone, so he was forced to wait for the others to return. It was the longest wait of Tom's twenty years.

They were laughing when they returned, to see Tom sat staring straight ahead. Not knowing what to make of it, Djaq sat down beside him while Much just asked where's your useless brother then? Cooled down enough yet? Tom looked at _Much then with the iciest glare he could muster as he blankly told the gang what had happened and how long he had waited for their return. At this, a number of things happened all at once, Much turned a shade of grey, Robin's hand made its way to his mouth and Will and Djaq took and immediate grip on their weapons, ready to leave once more. They each suddenly regretted their decision to stop by a small inn for a stay, how much time had they wasted laughing and joking whilst Allan was in Gisborne's grasp? Everybody breaks, that is what Robin said, how far could allan be pushed before he inevitably did so? Their decision was simple. We go to Nottingham._

Allan had tried his best to keep up a strong front, to give the illusion that he was fine, this was nothing, he'd had worse, he was fine. you a bettin man? How bout a little wager? didn't like that, did he? With every blow came the knowledge that he was protecting the gang. Every time he was struck and didn't spill he felt somehow stronger- it was this very thought that pushed the agony to the back of his mind. I'm stronger than them. I am stronger. He held out until he felt his head becoming more heavy and the world faded away. He didn't know how long he hadn't been conscious- it was hard to tell how much time had passed before he was brought suddenly and harshly into the real world once more. As Gisborne talked at him he said nothing. Hood was here you know? Didn't try to rescue you. But... that could mean any number of things, maybe he was captured and didn't know Allan was there also, or he hadn't seen Tom yet... Tom would bring help... he would. Allan just had to wait. Wait. I aren't giving you a thing, mate. The following crack he heard was of his ribs. The offer expires at dawn. If you haven't changed your mind by then, you wont have a mind to change. Just... wait.

It took a long time to come up with a plan. They had to take into account the amount of times they had broken into the castle and that, as a result of this, a lot of their normal routes had been compromised. Tom, impatient, then suggested that they take one of the most simple ways into the castle- so simple that it would be the last place Gisborne would expect them to come from- the back door. Once in the courtyard 'for business', they would make themselves scarce, and go through the stables. For a moment, Tom thought his idea would be thrown into the wind, but he was rewarded with a kiss on the cheek and a 'you little genius!' from Robin. Any other time he might've grinned at this, wiped his cheek forcefully and shouted 'oi!' however, now was not the time, and they just set off in the direction of Nottingham.

Allan had been tied to this post for too long. Gisborne had seen to it that his toes were off the ground, so he could feel his whole weight pulling on his shoulders heavily. He could see the purse. Gisborne tied it to an overhead beam directly in front of him. He would not give in, any minute now... or in an hour... he would be rescued. Warily, he closed his eyes, trying to contain the throbbing of his head- and it seemed mere seconds before he opened them once more, and saw that he was in the arms of John Little, being carried through the forest. He looked to the side to see Tom and Much walking alongside him and he was happy to sleep, knowing that he had held out and kept them all safe.

Time is an important thing, it can condem a man to death and in doing so break the lives of those around him, or, if you're really lucky- it could save not just one soul- but many. Tom a Dale's life, whilst seemingly insignificant led to the heroics of Allan a Dale who, although eventually martyred, would go on to do great things.

END


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